Clairvoyance
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: Getting hit by akuma is not usually this delightful. Or bright. Or completely eye-opening.


Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and am not affiliated with them in any way. This was written purely because my kids both want to be Cat Noir for Halloween (even though one would make a perfect Ladybug) and my first thought was, "Adrien would love that."

clairvoyance: (from French _clair_ meaning "clear" and _voyance_ meaning "vision") is the alleged ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through extrasensory perception. (see also: foresight, precognition)

* * *

 **Clairvoyance**

Adrien blinked, sat up, and looked around. The last thing he remembered was Cat Noir being hit by an akuma. He hadn't expected to wake up in a sunny park, sleeping under a tree. He looked down at his hands and panicked for a moment. He wasn't transformed anymore! Oh no, he had to find Plagg! And Ladybug!

And why did he have a wedding band on his left hand?

"Daaaaddy!" Adrien looked up sharply and tiny bundle of yellow and blue barreled into him. He let out an "oof!" and was surprised to find himself holding a little girl who couldn't be more than five. With a start, he realized that her blonde pigtails were the exact same shade as his own hair. She had an cute little blue dress on, with little embroidered kitties playing near the hem. Then she looked up at him and he felt his heart melt. She was absolutely adorable! She had the sweetest heart-shaped face and a spattering of freckles. Her big, bluebell eyes were quivering with tears.

"Daddy, Louis says I have to be Ladybug! I don't wanna be Ladybug! I wanna be Cat Noir!"

Adrien gaped at her. Had she called him "daddy?" How did he respond to that? Yikes. Obviously, some little girl had lost her father and mistaken him (and how? He was fifteen, for crying out loud! Though she did look extra tiny, now that he thought about it). She buried her face back in his chest to continue crying.

"But it's a _lady_ bug, Emma," a young boy said, coming up to them with his hands behind his head. Adrien looked at him and felt his heart stop again. He was a bit older than the girl, maybe seven or eight, but that wasn't what made Adrien stare. The kid looked exactly like Adrien had at his age: his bright green eyes, the shape of his face and build… except, instead of blonde, his hair was so black it had blue highlights. Adrien sucked in his breath. Exactly like… "Lady. Bug. I can't be a lady! Now give me Plagg."

"Plagg?" Adrien exclaimed, finally finding his voice. Whoa, had it always been so deep?

"No, no, no, no, no! I wanna be Cat Noir!" The little blonde girl cried, holding her hands away from the boy. Sure enough, Adrien saw that she was clutching Plagg tightly with both hands. And that his kwami was enduring it with an uncharacteristic patience.

"Emma!" the boy whined.

"Looks like you're in a tight spot, Plagg," an unfamiliar voice chirped. Adrien looked up to see a bright pink kwami with black spots perched carelessly in the little boy's dark hair, watching them all with amusement as the boy tried to take Plagg away from the girl.

"It tough being popular," Plagg grumbled.

"Emma, you're gonna squish him!" the boy yelled. Blinking, Adrien suddenly realized he should probably intervene. But this was so cute! Before he could, though….

"Aaaand I'm done," Plagg said, phasing out of the girl's hands and hiding behind Adrien. She shrieked at the kwami and chased him.

"Ugh! Dad, tell her I can't be Ladybug!" the boy whined at Adrien. "My friends at school would all laugh at me!"

"Don't worry, Louis," the pink kwami said, floating down to give the little boy a kiss on the nose, "we can always bring back Khepri!"

"Oh no, Tikki, you are not turning my son into a dung beetle!" a new voice said firmly. Adrien looked over to where it came from, and then scrambled to stand up, his eyes trying to process what he was seeing.

"But, Mom…," the dark-haired boy was whining.

It was Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The shy girl from his class. She looked older, and her hair was down, but it was definitely her. And she looked amazing. She was wearing a long, pink sundress, and smiling at him with one hand on her hip. The other arm… was holding a sleeping baby up on her shoulder. And Adrien couldn't help it, he was gaping again.

He had seen his own baby pictures before, of course. And that kid was a carbon copy. He even had his thumb in his mouth.

The vision in front of him walked forward, and Adrien noticed with a flush that his body warmed in anticipation as he watched her hips slightly swing. He cleared his throat nervously, only for it to close up again when she laughed. Not the nervous little giggle he was used to in class, but the light, airy laugh he had come to associate with Ladybug.

"We will discuss superhero names when you're older," she told the little boy firmly, stoking his hair. "Now go tell your sister to stop climbing on Mommy and Daddy's statue." The little boy ran to do his mother's bidding and Marinette stepped close to Adrien, absently brushing some stray grass off his shirt. "You really need to make them stop handling Plagg like that," she said, giving him a fond smile. "I know he can phase, but can you imagine if they start squeezing the hamster?"

"I-I'm… sorry?" he said nervously.

She tilted her head at him. "What's the matter, kitty? You look like you've seen a ghost."

For what seemed like the millionth time in the past few minutes, his heart lurched. _Kitty_. She had called him _kitty_. Ladybug's nickname for him. And she knew about Plagg. And she had been talking to that other kwami who was _playing with their children_. And, oh God, their children! He turned to look at where the little girl and boy had run off to. Sure enough, they were climbing on the statue of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

As he looked back to her, his mouth was dry. "My lady?" he croaked out. Her head turned towards him automatically. As if there was any doubt left. All he could do was stand there, drinking her in. He felt like a starving man who had suddenly been seated at a feast.

Then, her smile disappeared and she looked at him worriedly. "Adrien, are you all right?" she asked, quickly taking his temperature with her hand. When she found nothing wrong with him, it trailed down to his shirt and he caught it with his own hand.

"Is this… all mine?" he asked, breathless. He couldn't find the right words to describe how he felt right now.

Ladybug was here. Ladybug was Marinette! There were two children running around the park, and one more sleeping on her shoulder, and they were calling him Daddy, playing with kwamis, and wanting to be Cat Noir and Ladybug… Ladybug! Ladybug was right here and _she was Marinette_ and she was calling him kitty and looking at him like she loved him more than anything else in the world...! And he could barely see it because she was holding her son (their son! _His_ son!) with that hand, but there was a tiny, sparkling ring that looked absolutely perfect on her and matched the one on his own finger and—!

And she was tilting her head and smiling at him again. "All yours, always and forever, kitty," she said, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Elation filled him. He couldn't let her go like that! He wanted more! Quickly, he snaked his arm around her and turned his head to catch her lips with his own before she could completely pull away. He felt her smile into the kiss before returning it. His whole body was thrumming with pleasure.

This was Ladybug. Marinette. She was _his_. She was kissing him!

However, she pulled away, giggling, when he tried to deepen it. "Careful, kitty, you'll wake Hugo," she scolded, as she shifted the baby slightly into a more comfortable position. Adrien almost laughed. Hugo? How had she convinced him to name his son that? Although, he thought, as he glanced at her again and felt warmth and pleasure flooding him, he doubted he could deny her anything.

"What's gotten into you today, Adrien?" she asked.

"It's just… I mean… I have a _family_ ," he finally said, unable to explain further.

Sadness flashed across her face for a moment before she gave him another bright smile. "I told Alya and Nino to take their time with the food," she said. "So we have time to take a walk before we meet them for lunch. I thought you'd like that." A walk in the park with his family. Adrien was delighted.

"Is he heavy? Do you want me to take him?" he asked immediately, indicating the baby in her arms.

"Oh no," she said, laughing again. "I know how you like to bounce, kitty. You'll wake him up for sure. This little bug needs his nap. You go chase your kittens."

He was about to argue that he had a perfectly smooth runway walk, thank you very much, when he realized what her statement meant. He was an adult. Able to walk however he wanted. He wasn't his father's perfect little model anymore. He could bounce. He could saunter like Cat Noir. He could run, and chase, and _play with his kids!_ A wide smile broke out on his face as he turned towards the two kids playing by the statue. The kwamis were swooping and flying over their heads as they laughed and shrieked in delight.

"Last one to catch a kwami has to be Ladybug!" he called, running forward to join them.

"Hey!" his wife called indignantly. He just gave her a cheeky grin.

Then the world tilted.

And blurred.

"Cat Noir!"

 _No_! he thought, as the colors around him started to blend in together. Gasping, he tried to reach his kids, to _hold_ them one more time, before—

"Cat Noir! Cat Noir!" Ladybug's younger voice reached out to him.

He almost yowled as his world spun and faded. "No!" he cried, sitting up, his arms still outstretched.

"Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked, sitting beside him. He blinked a few times. It was dark, and he was back in the cat suit on an empty street by the Seine, as though he had never left. Which, he realized, was probably exactly what happened.

"What happened?" he asked, staring at his hands. He couldn't look at her right now. Not yet. Not when he felt so empty all of a sudden. When had it gotten so cold?

"You got hit by the akuma, Fortune Teller," she said gently. "She said you'd be able to see your future, but… you were just lying there."

Crap, he was going to cry. He wanted to go back. He had never wanted to be hit by an akuma again so badly in his life.

"I was so scared you were hurt," Ladybug continued. "I'm sorry it took so long to break you out of it."

Oh, she had no idea…. "It's okay, Mari-er-Ladybug," he rasped out, barely catching himself. He knew who she was now! She didn't know that he knew! And she didn't want him to know! Oh god, how was he going to deal with this? Finally, he risked a look at her.

It was her. Marinette. Unmistakable, now that he knew. Her hair, her eyes… how had he not seen it before? Even her voice was the same. But instead of the warmth and love he had seen in future, this Ladybug remained distant. Almost cold. Out of his reach.

And that hurt so much.

"Are you all right?" she asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to sob. To take her in his arms and tell her everything he'd seen. Everything he'd ever wanted. He _needed_ that comfort and warmth back. But even now, he could see how she held her body taut, away from him. Probably expecting a cat pun and some flirting. If he'd been in his right mind, he would've done it. He would've taken full advantage of her concern and milked it for all it was worth.

But not now. Not when it felt like he had just lost three small kids and a wife. Now he just nodded.

He choked back the sob that was building in his throat. "Did you… get the akuma already?" he asked, looking around.

"Yeah," she assured him, standing up and holding out her hand. "No need to worry about it. Bug's honor."

He smiled weakly as he let himself be pulled up. Vaguely he wondered if Hawkmoth could sense that he _wanted_ to be hit again. He wanted it so desperately. Maybe he'd send out the same akuma…. No. That was wrong. And selfish. Over to the side of the street, he saw an elderly gypsy woman wrapped in a blanket, talking to the police. That must've been the victim.

"I should go talk to her," he said.

Ladybug caught him, concern in her eyes. "You don't need to worry about it, Cat Noir. I already talked to her," she said. Then she blinked as her earrings beeped out their warning. "I should go. Are you sure you're all right?" she asked again.

He steeled himself and gave her a big smile. Time to be strong. "Absolutely, my lady," Cat Noir said, giving her a bow. "How can I not be, when you're here to save the day?" She smiled at him, but still looked uneasy, so he decided to up the ante and pulled her hand in for a kiss. "Purr-haps you'll even let me show you my ap-purr-iciation?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows as he smirked at her over her hand.

"All right, kitty, that's enough out of you," she laughed, pushing him away. The light was back in her eyes. "Have a good night!" she called, even as she swung away. He waved, smiling until she was out of sight.

Then, before he could stop himself, he jogged over to where the akuma victim was. The police were just finishing up and looked surprised to see him.

"Can I talk to her for a moment?" he asked. They shrugged and moved away to give them some space. The woman also looked startled at his attention.

"Cat Noir," she said shakily, "I hope you will not blame an old woman for what—"

"No, no, of course not," he interrupted, reassuring her. To emphasize his point, he took a knee in front of her, so her head was higher than his. "I… um, actually wanted to thank you," he admitted, gently taking her hand. "You showed me something today… that I've been wanting for a long time."

The old woman studied him for a moment. "I may not have the powers Hawkmoth gave me before," she sighed, "and it seems I can't do a palm reading," she added with a little laugh as she turned his hand over and touched his glove. She looked up at him again. "But I see a great sadness in you, my boy. And an emptiness that no magic of mine can fill. Still, you say you've managed to see what it is you want?"

"Yes," he said breathlessly, imagining that sunny park and the bright, bright laughter all around him. He had only had it for a moment, but he wanted it back. It ached inside him. A hole that left him cold and raw. He hadn't even realized what he was missing before.

"Then you must work hard to get it," she said firmly. "No magic will bring you true happiness, _chaton_. You must give it to yourself."

Cat Noir grinned. That was just what he needed to hear! "Thank you," he said to the gypsy, giving her hand a squeeze as he stood to go.

"No, thank _you_ , my boy," she replied, giving him a toothed smile in return. "Not only do you save me from dark magic, but you reminded of the lesson I needed to relearn for myself tonight. Magic can only get us so far, after all."

He nodded and gave her his typical salute. After making sure the police were ready to take her home, he was off again, darting from roof to roof. He was exceptionally glad he hadn't had to use his Cataclysm tonight; no need to worry about a timer.

Before he had quite realized where he was going, he was already there. The little park that held the statue of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Swooping down, he landed softly and looked around, easily finding the tree he had woken up under in the vision.

Louis, Emma, and Hugo, he chanted in his mind, not wanting to forget even the smallest detail. Oh, how he wished he'd gotten more time! Louis, Emma, and Hugo. And Marinette! he added with a grin. Couldn't forget about her! His Ladybug. His future _wife_ , if he played his cards right! This was one game he was determined to win. A future with Ladybug! The bravest, most daring, _most alluring_ woman he'd ever met was also one of the sweetest girls in his class! Who'd have thought? _How did a black cat get so lucky?_ he wondered, chuckling to himself. And how had he never seen the likeness before? He had met her before, both as Adrien and Cat Noir and…. Then his eyes went wide and he spun around as he realized.

12 Rue Gotlib

The bakery.

She lived right across the street!

With a laugh, he launched himself into the air again. No way could he miss this opportunity to see her! However, as soon as he landed on her balcony, his elation faded, replaced by nervousness. Would she even want to see him? She had already been worried about him as Ladybug… maybe he should give her some time. He turned to go.

"Cat Noir!" he heard her shout, just as he was taking off. Fumbling, he aborted the move and ended up slipping on the railing. Reaching out, he was barely able to grab it and pull himself back over onto the safety of her roof. He breathed a sigh of relief. That had been close. "Sorry!" Marinette said, climbing up the rest of the way from her room, "I didn't mean to startle you! Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly.

He realized he was staring at her again and quickly stood up, electing to play with his tail casually. "Of course, princess," he purred, laying it on thick. "Cats always land on their feet, you know."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Not from where I'm standing," she muttered under her breath.

He chose not to hear that. "So, you're up late," he said, fishing for conversation.

"You're one to talk," she countered. "Wasn't there an akuma attack tonight? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Nah," he said, "just decided to take a stroll in the park and saw your light still on, is all." He lied easily. "What's got you up so late?" he asked, leaning into her personal space with a smirk. Sure enough, she blushed.

"Homework," she blurted, taking a step back away from him. "And then I saw the news, and I saw that you got hit, and then you were outside my window…," she babbled. He grinned. He had never realized just how adorably cute she was!

"Aww, were you worried about me?" he teased, leaning towards her again. His body felt warm again, and he desperately wanted to kiss her, but…. Not tonight. It was too soon.

"Yes, of course I was!" Marinette replied, not backing down and scowling at him. There was that backbone! That stubbornness that drove him wild when she was wearing her costume. To see it on Marinette… was he ever going to get this grin off his face?

Apparently so. As, in the next moment, she happened to take another step back from him, and tripped on the hatch to her room. Quickly, he dove forward and grabbed her before she could fall down the stairs, pulling her close to his body and out of harm's reach.

"Careful, princess," he said softly, looking into her eyes.

"If you make a joke about me falling for you, I'm going to spray you with my squirt bottle," she deadpanned. He laughed. She really knew him too well.

Conceding the victory to her (for now), he let her go and gave her a bow. "In that case, I shall simply bid you good night," he said.

"Cat Noir," she said, stopping him from leaving again. She looked at him uncertainly. "You're sure… you're okay?"

He looked at her, debating on asking for a kiss to "cure" him. _Nah_ , he thought. _This is Ladybug. If I ask, she'll probably yell at me and chase me off her balcony with a broom._

Instead, he gave her his typical smirk. "I'm a superhero, princess. I'll be just fine. You get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

She blinked at him.

It wasn't until he was on the next roof that he realized what he'd said. Mentally cursing, he forced himself not to look back. _See you tomorrow_. How much more obvious could he be?

Ugh, this was going to be harder than he thought!

* * *

"Hey, my lady?" Cat Noir said mournfully from his perch on Notre Dame.

"What's up, kitty?" she asked, turning her blinding smile his way. Her beautiful, _oblivious_ smile….

"It's just… you're a girl…" he said, trying to figure out how to phrase this so he didn't give himself away.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well spotted."

He grinned at her weakly. "You just made a pun," he laughed.

She groaned. "Did you want to ask me something or not, Cat Noir?"

"No, I do!" he swallowed, looking away from her. "What… does it mean when a girl won't talk to you?" he finally asked. She cocked her head to the side and frowned at him.

"Probably that she doesn't like you," she said.

" _Me_ ow-ch!" he cried, miming being stabbed. Inside, however, he wasn't feeling much different. Marinette didn't like him? _Like a knife through the heart!_ he thought, feeling something break inside him.

Ladybug rolled her eyes again, and settled on the roof beside him. "But, since I don't have the whole story, it could mean a lot of other things too. What have you tried?" she asked.

"Everything! And nothing!" he cried, frustrated. "She keeps running away whenever I see her or try to talk to her!"

"Well, most girls don't like cat puns," she said with a smile.

"I haven't used any!" he exclaimed.

She blinked at him in surprise. "No cat puns? You must be serious about this girl!" she teased.

"I am," he said miserably. This past day had been awkward. Almost torture. He hadn't realized just how close Marinette really was, and she would. Not. Talk. To. Him. He was willing to bet she hadn't been able to form more than two sentences in his presence; always stammering and stuttering and turning red just before taking off before Alya could explain that she wasn't feeling well or some other transparent lie…. And when he had tried to talk to her, Alya had had to force her friend to even respond to his questions!

He wanted to know more about her! To talk to her, even about the little things at school. Their friends. Homework. It frustrated him to no end to realize he actually knew _nothing_ about her. Her favorite subject? Her favorite color! Her likes and dislikes. Her hopes and dreams! The love of his life was right there! What he really wanted was to ask her on a date, but between his schedule and her unwillingness to spend even a moment alone with him…. He groaned and raked his hands through his hair. Then he realized Ladybug had gone silent.

He looked up at her to see that she was staring at him, open-mouthed.

"Err, LB?" he called cautiously.

It worked, breaking her out of it and into the biggest grin he had ever seen on her, her eyes sparkling.

"YOU'RE IN LOVE!" she squealed in delight, diving forward and hugging him tightly. He yelped as they fell onto the roof, Ladybug laughing as she clutched him. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, Cat Noir!"

"I can see that," he gasped out.

She let him go, giggling. "Sorry!" she said. "I just get so excited watching people fall in love! Especially when they're close to me! Oh, this is so exciting!"

He laughed bitterly. "Yeah, just one problem there, lovebug," he said. " _She_ doesn't love _me_."

Instantly, her face fell into a frown. "Well, we'll have to fix that," she said determinedly. "When did you two meet?"

Cat Noir stared at her in disbelief. Really? She was going to try to help him? Oh, if she only knew…. Still… what better way to get inside her head?

"About a year ago," he answered.

"Have you gone on any dates?"

He shook his head. "I told you, she stammers out some excuse and then runs out of the room. Or freezes. Like a statue, almost."

"Did you say something mean to her? Or do something?"

He grimaced at the thought of the gum incident. "There was a misunderstanding when we first met. I apologized, and I thought she had forgiven me." Surely, Marinette hadn't held a grudge against him for this long? "We've hung out together since then, but nothing romantic." _Sadly_.

Ladybug frowned. "Are you sure she's not seeing someone else?"

Cat Noir felt his face go pale. He hadn't even considered that! Beautiful, sweet Marinette? She might be seeing someone. Just because _he'd_ been blind didn't mean the rest of the guys in their class weren't. His eyes narrowed. Nathaniel had asked her out when he'd gotten akumatized. What if-?

A growl escaped him before he could stop it.

"Kitty?" Ladybug asked softly. He looked up to see her staring at him in concern.

"I-I don't know for sure," he stammered.

"You've known her a year and you don't even know if she's dating someone?" Ladybug asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I-I have a strict schedule!" he stammered. "And then there's class, when we're not supposed to talk… and I don't—ugh, I don't even have her number… and… I've been an idiot," he admitted.

"Oh, kitty, kitty, kitty," she said sympathetically, shaking her head at him. "Ok, the first thing you've got to do is talk to her."

"But she—"

"No, kitty," she said firmly, poking him in the chest. "You. She will do what she wants to do, but you've got to try to say what's on your mind. Unless… you're okay with things staying this way?"

He blinked and briefly imagined a future different from the one he'd seen before. No kiddos playing in the park. No warm kisses, or bright laughter, or sparkling rings, or beautiful babies sleeping in the sunlight. He wanted to sob.

"No," he said, his throat tight. "I'm not okay with that."

Ladybug stepped back and smiled at him. "Then, you know what you have to do."

He stared at her. _I have to walk over there and kiss you senseless,_ he thought to himself. _I have to tell you that I know who you are, and tell you who I am, and pray to every god and kwami available that you could ever love me half as much as I love you._

He closed his eyes and took a step backwards. _But I won't,_ he added. _Because I'm a big scaredy cat who just realized he knows absolutely nothing about the girl he loves. Not even if she's in love with someone else._

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. _But, so help me, I am going to find out_.

"Thanks, milady," he said, managing to sound casual.

She smiled at him brightly. "What are friends for?" she asked, waving it aside like it was nothing. Then she muttered something under her breath so lowly even his superhuman kitty ears could only pick out "…such a hypocrite…"

It was his turn to cock his head to the side in confusion. "Milady?"

She squeaked and blushed. "Oh, nothing, Cat Noir! Was there anything else you needed?"

"Nope," he said easily, playing with his baton and forming a plan. "Except… maybe to play with my favorite lady." His grin widened as he sank into a playful crouch. "So, lovebug, what's your favorite color?"

The smiles and bashfulness disappeared as Ladybug raised an eyebrow, her hand drifting to her yo-yo as she caught onto his game. "You shouldn't flirt with me when you love someone else," she chided.

"Who says its someone else?" he asked, giving her his biggest grin and licking his lips.

She aimed her yo-yo at him, which he easily dodged, laughing. "Oh, get out of here, you mangy alley cat!" she yelled, turning red. He stuck his tongue out at her and was rewarded with a growl.

"Gotta catch me first!"

"Catch you? I'll string you up and leave you for your crush on the Eiffel Tower!" she threatened, throwing the yo-yo again. This time, he needed his baton to extend his leap to get away from her.

"Ooo, bondage. Didn't know you _swung_ that way, my lady!" he teased, blocking her next attack with his baton. He laughed again at her frustrated growl. "Can I request a black blindfold? It'll go with the suit. Plus I like black. And green. Do you like green?"

"What you need is a gag!" she huffed. They danced around the buildings, feinting at each other.

"Sure," he agreed, "as long as you get one in your favorite color. Which is…?"

"Not telling!"

"Aww, can I guess it?"

"When pigs fly!"

"There have been weirder akumas," he said in mock seriousness. That startled a laugh out of her and he took the opportunity to sidle in close and tug on one of her pigtails. Her indignant shriek had him laughing, even as he ran away. He laughed even harder as she chased him. "So, you'll get back to me on the color thing?"

"Not a chance, kitty!"

Snickering, he let her chase him for a few more minutes before he saw an opportunity, suddenly changed course, and pounced on her. For once, luck was on his side, and he quickly pinned her. Grinning, he leaned in. "Sooo…."

She rolled her eyes and puffed her hair out of her eyes. "Blue."

He snorted. "You're a bad liar," he told her solemnly.

"Fine, red."

"Really?" he asked, sitting up a bit. Now that he thought about it, he'd never seen even a scrap of red on Marinette. Except… his eyes flew to her pigtails. Were the ribbons in those red in her civilian form? He couldn't remember now.

"Goes with the outfit," she said cheekily.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, leaning in again. "You're lying to me again~," he sang into her ear, bringing one of his hands down to tickle her side. Beneath him, she squirmed, exceptionally ticklish (as he had learned to his great delight a few weeks back).

"Cat," she growled in a warning tone. He sat up, knowing their brief game was already up.

"It's a _color_ ," he whined as he got off her. "How could that possibly give your secret identity away?"

"It's the principle of the thing," she said, sitting up and dusting herself off. "You should be asking your crush those kinds of questions, not—" she froze, and looked up at him. "It's not really _me_ , is it?" she asked, looking scared.

For a moment, he wanted to shake his head and reassure her. To tell her everything was going to go back to the way it was. But… he wasn't okay with how things were.

So instead, he folded his arms. "And if it is?" he asked defiantly.

The color drained from her face. "You know who I am?" she asked.

His resolve crumbled at the sight of the fear on her face. They had faced innumerable monsters together; things that nightmares were literally made of, and she was afraid of something like this? Her? Ladybug was afraid of _him_? _There must be a reason!_ he scolded himself. Besides, if she didn't want to be with him _that_ badly….

He sighed and looked away. "How could I?" he asked. _You don't want me in that part of your life,_ he wanted to add. _I just wish I knew why._ He glanced at her. "Would it really be that bad?" he asked. "If I loved you?"

Tears swam in her eyes. "I-I like someone," she whispered after a moment.

Well, there was his answer. Before, his heart had hurt. Now, it was crushed. Absolutely crushed. He closed his eyes and turned away.

"Cat Noir!" she called out to him, but he was already vaulting away.

* * *

For the first time, Adrien didn't want to go to school. Yes, he wanted to see Nino, and Chloe, and the rest of his friends. No, he wasn't worried about the lessons themselves. But he really didn't want to see a certain blue-eyed class president right now, especially since he'd given her such a big hint to his secret identity last night.

He hadn't even realized how much he'd revealed until he went over their conversation a thousand times in his head. How long would it take Marinette to figure out who he was once she realized he'd been talking about her? Then the rest of the night had been spent contemplating what she would do once she did figure it out.

Would it change how she acted around him? Would she hate him even more than she apparently already did? Would she not be able to talk to him as Cat Noir either?

Plagg had been no help. Ever since that vision of the future he'd been quiet, staring at his cheese more than just gulping it down like he usually did. But he didn't want to talk about it. Adrien knew he could see and feel what happened when he was in the suit, so he was sure Plagg had seen the same future, but he went silent when Adrien tried to talk about it. Or he told him to forget it.

Hmph, Adrien snorted. Like he could.

For once, he was actually early, and felt both guilty and relieved when he saw that Marinette's seat was still empty. Nino gave him a fist bump as he sat down.

"Dude, you okay?" Nino asked. "You look like someone ran over your puppy."

Adrien snorted. He'd never had a puppy. His father hated dogs. Plagg probably wouldn't like one either. But apparently in the future, they'd had a hamster—no! He had to stop thinking about that!

"Just girl troubles," he admitted to his friend.

"Dude, don't say that!" Nino exclaimed. "If _you_ can't get a date, the rest of us don't have a chance!"

Adrien chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you've had more dates than me at this point, Nino," he said.

"And _I'm_ pretty sure you could fix that in a heartbeat," Nino countered, nudging him and nodding towards the door. Adrien looked to see Alya and Marinette coming in. Alya waved as they greeted her, but Marinette just kept her head down. Adrien felt his stomach drop. She looked like she hadn't slept; there were dark circles under her eyes. Was it because of how Cat Noir left last night? Had he done that to her? He hadn't meant to make her worry!

And it looked like their friends had noticed too. Nino mouthed "what's wrong with her?" to Alya, who just shook her head and shrugged. Apparently, Marinette hadn't talked to her either.

And she wouldn't, Adrien knew. She would never compromise their safety by revealing anything about their secret identities. She was the strong one. Him? He was about two seconds away from transforming in front of everyone, scooping her up in his arms, taking her some place private, and confessing everything to her. Just to take that sad look off her face. He wanted to. He _so_ wanted to. But, there were several issues with that—

"Did she have a fight with her boyfriend?" he asked Nino lowly, so no one else could hear. Nino would know if she was dating someone. To his delight, Nino looked at him like he was crazy.

"What? Marinette doesn't have a boyfriend," he whispered back. Adrien carefully kept the joy off his face.

"So, she's not in love with anyone?" he asked, trying to play it as casual. He wasn't sure he was succeeding, based on Nino's wide eyes.

"Dude, you seriously don't know?" his friend's voice was incredulous.

"Know what?" Adrien whispered back.

The bell rang.

"All right, class, settle down!" Miss Bustier called.

It seemed he would have to wait.

Throughout class, he tried to think of different ways he could cheer Marinette up. The boyfriend thing cleared up a lot. If she wasn't officially attached to anyone, maybe she'd consider going out with him as friends? She had said she liked someone, but Nino had said she didn't. Maybe it was a secret crush? Whatever it was, it wasn't official, so he might still have a chance! Maybe he could even cheer her up as Cat Noir, since Cat was the one she was unhappy with.

He could transform and tell her everything was ok. He would respect her wishes but he still wanted to be friends. Then maybe someday, they could be more than friends.

He could reveal himself to her and have her scream at him. He winced at that scenario. Might as well serve himself up to Hawkmoth on a silver platter. No, no, she would never abandon her duties as Ladybug, even if she hated him. Ugh. Hated him…. She might hate him. He didn't even want to think about that.

His favorite fantasy was pulling her into a deserted locker room, transforming in front of her, then pushing her up against the wall and kissing the daylights out of her. Which she, of course, would happily return. He snickered to himself quietly, trying not to draw Nino's attention. He would never be able to admit that particular fantasy to _anyone_. Nino couldn't know his secret identity. Ladybug thought of him as a sidekick. And to Marinette… he was the class bully's oldest friend.

He sighed to himself, the depression of his situation settling in on him again. They had a _long_ way to go before he got to see Louis, Emma, and Hugo again. But maybe, just maybe if he could get under her skin enough—

A scrap of paper fluttered by his head and he caught it by reflex, blinking at it. He glanced at the teacher, who was turned towards the board, sufficiently distracted. He quickly opened the note.

 _My favorite color is pink._

He stared at it in shock, elation slowly rising inside of him. She had figured him out! It had taken him a magical glimpse into the future and seeing her with his own two eyes to make the connection and she had done it with a few clumsy hints! His Ladybug was so smart! And cunning too! She had called him out with a note that would seem perfectly harmless to anyone else!

A grin spread over his face, even as he glanced at the teacher. Marinette had also tossed him a major bone. She was willing to reveal herself to him. Was she willing to give him a chance? Oh God, the urge to look behind him was overwhelming, no matter how much trouble it would cause! He couldn't risk tossing a note back to her; it would be too obvious and he didn't have gravity on his side like she did. He'd text her, but (to his frustration) he still didn't have her number. (Yet. He was going to fix that ASAP.)

Instead, he waited until Miss Bustier was in the middle of writing another note on the board before he turned slightly in his seat and gave her Cat Noir's best smirk and two-fingered salute. He heard her squeak as he turned back, and fought back his laughter.

That minx! She had been fishing for that last bit of confirmation! Well, lucky for her (or lucky for him, he wasn't quite sure) he was more than willing to give it to her. The last few minutes of class dragged on as he practically bounced in his chair, every single nervous habit coming back to him. And he didn't waste a minute as soon as the bell rang. He spun around out of his chair to face her with bright, eager eyes.

"So, lunch?" he asked, already throwing his bag over his shoulder and reaching for her hand. Marinette stared at him, wide-eyed, as Alya squealed with delight beside her. In fact, her best friend didn't give her a chance to respond as she nudged Marinette towards Adrien.

"You go, girl!" she said encouragingly. "And don't worry, Adrien, I'll keep Nino company!" And then she was pushing _his_ best friend out the door, while Nino tried to give him two thumbs up. Adrien snickered. Apparently, their friends _really_ wanted them to get together.

"O-ok," she stuttered, slowly getting out of her seat and taking his hand. He wasted no time pulling her out the door, ignoring Chloe's indignant cries that were rising in pitch. He'd pay for that later, no doubt, but right now, he had _goals_.

And they included a little park nearby that was currently full of sunshine.

* * *

End.

Just a bit of fluff to brighten your day.

EDIT: Just a few formatting things.


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